The present invention related to the field of improved natural animal bases; particularly chicken type bouillon, and production methods therefore.
In order to make chicken bouillon or consommxc3xa9 from chicken bones, chicken meat, and vegetables for hotel, restaurant, and household use, known techniques require anywhere from several hours, to in excess of ten hours, to complete the extraction process. Furthermore, the production process requires complicated work involving heat adjustment, scum removal, filtration, clarifying the liquid, and boiling it down to the proper concentration. A quality and taste of the product depends on the skill and experience of the person preparing the chicken bouillon or consommxc3xa9. Thus, it is difficult to maintain uniform product quality and flavor.
Traditional cooking methods for producing high quality, natural bouillon, soup, and broth/stock, from raw meat and/or bones, requires placing the raw meat and/or bones in boiling water, and continuing the extraction for a long period of time, from several hours to over ten hours. Furthermore, in order to produce high quality soup, the production process requires complicated work involving heat adjustment, scum removal, filtration, liquid clarification, and boiling it down to the proper concentration. The experience and skill level of the person preparing the soup can have a significant impact on product quality, making it difficult to maintain product uniformity. Bouillon or consommxc3xa9 products currently on the market are made with large quantities of added salt and artificial seasonings to enhance the otherwise weak flavor. These products have impaired consumer acceptance
As used herein, a bouillon shall be interpreted to be a generic term encompassing a soup, bouillon, broth or stock, or other product intended to be consumed as a liquid, without regard for solids concentration. These products are related as follows. A bouillon and broth are respective French and English terms for boiled meat, fowl or fish soup. A consommxc3xa9 is a clarified broth prepared according to a traditional recipe. A stock is a broth which is used as a starting point for recipes.
Imitation chicken bouillon products currently on the market have significant deficits as compared to an authentic chicken bouillon, prepared as discussed above. The imitation products derive their flavor from hydrolyzed or fermented vegetable protein or yeast extract (e.g., autolyzed yeast extract), and seasonings. Any meat component of these products is generally not responsible for the principal flavor characteristics of the products. Other additives may also include spray dried extracted soup stock, amino acids, sugars, and salt. The blended dry product is solidified into cubes and put on the market and used as such.
Mixed bouillon products made from dried chicken powder, to which such ingredients as chicken extract powder and vegetable powder are simply added, have no balance of their taste and aroma, lack natural smoothness, and their product quality is different from that of chicken bouillon made according to traditional cooking techniques.
There have not previously been known any dried chicken bouillon products with the same high quality as the chicken bouillons made by chefs in hotels and restaurants that use natural products for all of its ingredients, such as chicken meat and bones, vegetables, spices, etc., while providing improved economic efficiency, simplicity, quality dependability, and safety of the products.
The present invention provides a dry product including uncooked chicken meat, and extract of chicken, which are directly mixed, and then dehydrated, as the basis for a quickly extractable high quality bouillon or consommxc3xa9.
The present invention also provides a dry product including meat and meat and/or bone extract, which are mixed and placed within a filter medium, to allow rapid extraction of soluble materials while retaining insoluble materials for easy separation. The product may be prepared by immersion or drip filtration.
According to one aspect of the the present invention, a chicken product is provided having a similar flavor profile to traditionally prepared chicken bouillon, which is prepared by placing the product in boiling water for one to three minutes. The product includes non-soluble components, so a preferred embodiment of the invention provides an integral filter or strainer, similar to a tea bag, to retain the clarity of the resulting product and facilitate use.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is formed, for example, as a mixture of finely chopped chicken meat with added chicken extract, which is heated, dehydrated, and ground, to produce powdered chicken bouillon. Preferably, vegetables and spices are added prior to cooking, and the chicken extract is derived from meat and/or bone. The mixture of chicken meat and chicken extract is preferably formed into thin sheets before dehydration.
A boiling water extract of the product is consistently high in quality, and easy-to-prepare. The taste compares favorable to traditionally prepared chicken bouillon, but without requiring special skills or an extended time for preparation. The invention therefore provides, in one aspect, a natural food base in the form of dried chicken bouillon made from a dehydrated direct mixture of chicken meat and chicken extract. More particularly, one aspect of the present invention provides a natural food base in the form of dried chicken bouillon made from a dried mixture of uncooked chicken meat as the principal ingredient, with added chicken meat extract and/or bone extract, characterized by the dehydration of the chicken meat together with added chicken meat extract and/or bone extract, and/or vegetables, and/or spices.
The present invention also provides dry powder mixtures of other meat and animal extract, to provide improved flavor characteristics due to the inclusion of a meat component, and the rapid extraction characteristics of an extract. A filter is preferably provided to retain particulates and insoluble matter, while permitting rapid extraction in boiling water. The filter is, for example, a water-permeable sealed paper or porous bag, and may include woven or non-woven fabrics.
The invention provides a natural food base whose taste, aroma, and color can be changed as desired by altering the ratios of principal components (e.g., meat and animal extract) and optional components (vegetables, spices, seasonings).
The animal extract, e.g., chicken meat extract and/or bone extract, can be in liquid, powdered, or other form. The vegetables can be in the form of vegetables, vegetable juice, vegetable extract, vegetable extract powder, etc., and the spices can be in the form of spices, spice extract, etc.
The mixed ingredients are preferably formed into thin sheets for higher drying efficiency during the dehydration process.
The taste, aroma, and color may be changed as desired by altering the ratios of added chicken meat and/or bone extract, and/or vegetables, and/or spices in the mixture.
Table 1 shows the results of an analysis of existing chicken bouillon products. Mixed bouillon products made from dried chicken powder, to which such ingredients as chicken extract powder and vegetable powder are simply added, have no balance between their taste and aroma, lack natural smoothness, and their product quality is different from that of chicken bouillon made according to traditional cooking techniques.
Through the present invention, a product quite similar to the chicken bouillon, that is traditionally made through several hours of extraction, can be made by extraction for 1-3 minutes in boiling water of a dried bouillon made from a mixture of principally chicken meat, chicken meat extract and/or bone extract, and vegetables, that is dehydrated, ground, and blended with spices.
The flavor can be readily adjusted by changing the combination and ratios of ingredients, e.g., the amounts of added chicken meat extract and/or bone extract, the amounts and types of vegetables (celery, onions, carrots, etc.) and spices. Accordingly, the dried chicken bouillon can be produced in any number of ways to suit people""s preferences.
The bouillon according to the present invention contains many anserine and carnosine peptides and amino acids that lower stress, act as antioxidants against harmful free radicals, and provide anti-cancer and anti-aging benefits.